E3 Is Officially Dead

The writing has been on the wall for some time. After cancellation after cancellation, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, aka E3, is officially dead.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) officially announced the news via X:

In addition, The Washington Post provided more information about the permanent cancellation. Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO of the ESA, had this to say: “We know the entire industry, players and creators alike have a lot of passion for E3. We share that passion. We know it’s difficult to say goodbye to such a beloved event, but it’s the right thing to do given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners.”

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Gamers could certainly see this coming from a mile away. Once Nintendo aired its first Direct in 2011, people realized you didn’t need to attend the show to get important announcements. This led to more companies doing their own presentations, especially in the wake of the pandemic in 2020. What need was there to plan an expensive trip to LA if you could just get your news via streams?

Even before that, though, players could tell something was off. E3 2017 was the first time the event opened itself up to the public, and tickets were certainly pricey, an effort to offset costs and get more media attention. Sony, one of the big three, left the show in 2018 and never returned.

Though it is sad to see E3 die, we will always have the memories of some particularly incredible showcases. My favorite is the Sony PlayStation $299 mic drop against the Sega Saturn during the very first show in 1995.

If you’re looking for more industry-related content, here’s an article about the studio behind The Day Before announcing its closure a week after the game’s release.